Sputnik, 53 Years On (2011-09-05)

It was on this day fifty-three years ago that the Soviet Union launched the world's first satellite. Sergey Korolyov's original plan was to use his R-7 Semyorka to launch a 1400kg payload fully equipped with all kinds of scientific instruments, named "Object D". The Soviet Union purely wanted the R-7 to be used for military purposes and saw the satellite program as immaterial. A side-salad. But Khrushchev still gave Korolyov the go ahead. Development on Object D hit some snags along the way however. The contractors kept sending parts when, upon delivery, didn't fit where they were supposed to go. This put delays on the program. To had insult to injury, Werhner von Braun's Jupiter-C was hailed in the American press and Korolyov feared loosing the milestone of first satellite to the US. So a decision was made to strip "Object D" down to an 84kg package containing only a few radio radio transmitters. This would secure Russia the position of being the first to launch a satellite and the original Object D concept would be postponed to a later date. In retrospect, Korolyov had nothing to worry about. Although von Braun had perfected his Jupiter-C in 1956, it was derived from his Nazi V-2 rocket. The American government was reluctant to let their first satellite be launched using Nazi technology. They wanted their first satellite to be 100% made in the USA. So the satellite contract went to the US Navy, who were still in the process of finalizing their plans when Sputnik ...

There You'll Be: STS-51-L Challenger Tribute (2011-10-09)

Just one day after the 19th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire, millions watched as Space Shuttle Challenger exploded before our eyes. The cold weather had frozen the solid rocket boosters' rubber O-rings, which subsequently failed to seal the aft field joint and caused a plume leakage. This leak of hot gases breached the external tank and blew the shuttle. It is believed the crew survived the initial explosion, as the shuttle's crew compartment remained intact long after the blast. But of course this section was without parachutes and so there was nothing to save the crew when they hit the water at high speeds. I think a lot of people remember STS-51-L more than they remember Apollo 1 because this flight carried the first civilian teacher in space, Shannon Christa McAuliffe. Also, like the Columbia disaster, Challenger's demise happened right before our eyes on live television. The Apollo 1 fire happened behind closed doors. I can understand people remembering the two fatal shuttle flights more for those reasons, but it is still upsetting to see one fatality overshadowed by another. All seventeen astronauts from each mission, Apollo 1, Challenger and Colmbia, should be remembered equally. Making sure that no astronaut is left behind, we dedicate this video to the fallen astronauts of Space Shuttle Challenger. RIP Francis Richard "Dick" Scobee Michael John Smith Ellison Shoji Onizuka Judith Arlene Resnik Ronald Ervin McNair Gregory Bruce Jarvis Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe